News

Chevron buys about 5% of Hess stock, says it is confident of merger

(Reuters) -Chevron bought about 4.99% of Hess Corp's common shares this year, reflecting its confidence in completing the planned acquisition of Hess, the oil giant said in a regulatory filing on Monday. The second-largest U.S. oil producer agreed in October 2023 to buy Hess in an all-stock deal valued at $53 billion to gain a crucial stake in Guyana's oil-rich Stabroek block. U.S. regulators and shareholders have approved the deal, but Exxon Mobil and CNOOC, Hess' partners in Guyana, have challenged it in court.

New York State factory activity plunges in March, NY Fed says

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said its Empire State manufacturing index plunged by nearly 26 points - the largest drop since May 2023 - to a reading of negative 20.0 from positive 5.7 in February. It was the latest survey to paint a picture of a weakening factory sector struggling to adjust to President Donald Trump's roll-out of tariffs on a rapidly widening range of imported goods.